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Race 2 Recovery is funded by NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski's Checkered Flag Foundation, which he started in 2010. It is dedicated largely to helping former military members in need. Photo by Steven Cole Smith

Keselowski gives wounded soldiers a true NASCAR experience

July 10, 2012

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Noah Galloway on May 7 was strapped into the passenger seat of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Dodge Charger, just like the one Penske Racing driver Brad Keselowski drove to victory lane the day before at Talladega Superspeedway. Sitting to Galloway's left was Keselowski. They were about to take a few laps at race speed on Talladega's high banks. All of Keselowski's passengers had been instructed to clap their hands and say their names, to help with the editing of the in-car video that they'd get a copy of.

A brief pause. “I, uh, only have one hand,” Galloway said. Immediately, a crewman and Keselowski both held a hand up for Galloway to clap, and they were off for a 180-mph ride.

Galloway, an Army sergeant, was in Iraq on his second tour of duty in 2005. In the southern part of Baghdad, his Humvee ran over a trip wire, and an explosive device sent the Humvee into a canal, on its side, with Galloway unconscious. He lost his left arm and his left leg.

But on this weekend, Galloway and a half-dozen other wounded warriors not only got a ride around Talladega with Keselowski or Dodge teammate Parker Kligerman, they were at the track for the race, hosted like VIPs. “Instead of celebrating and having fun, he's back here on Monday to be with us,” Galloway said. “It's hard to express how much we appreciate that.”

Families were included, and those getting the ride around the track included one other person each wounded vet selected.

Race 2 Recovery is funded by Keselowski's Checkered Flag Foundation, which he started in 2010. It is dedicated largely to helping former military members in need. The program carries two Penske Dodges, outfitted with the latest speed and safety equipment, to give rides to wounded warriors selected by area Veterans Affairs offices. There are donors, and Penske Racing supplied the cars, but a lot of the funding comes out of Keselowski's pocket.

In some small part, the foundation's focus is the result of a life-changing moment Keselowski had several years ago. A longtime friend had entered the military and was injured when his Humvee was blown up. He was the only survivor. Keselowski's friend had come home, but soon disappeared.

“Then one day I was on a tour that NASCAR set up of military hospitals,” Keselowski said. “We were visiting Walter Reed [Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.], going room to room, and sure as hell, there he was.”

Survivor's guilt and his own physical injuries had overcome him. He wouldn't talk; he just sat looking at the wall.

“That was a crisp and clear moment for me,” Keselowski said. “This was someone my age, who I'd known for years. It really put things into perspective.”

At that point, it was easy for the now 28-year-old Keselowski to figure out the next step. “I don't golf. I don't bowl. I drive race cars. And this just felt right.”

It also felt right to Jeffrey Adams, who was a lieutenant with the Louisiana Nation-al Guard. He was checking debris on a road outside of Baghdad in 2004 when a device exploded. “I looked down,” he said, “and my leg was gone.”

A huge racing fan, Adams was contacted a couple of weeks prior to the drive about Race 2 Recovery. One of his favorite aspects of the program was that his wife was included. “A lot of times, it's all about us,” he said, “because we're the easy ones to identify. But the real heroes are the spouses and family members and caregivers who help us come back. And the fact that Brad and the foundation included them really shows us that they get it.”

Visit www.checkeredflagfoundation.org for more information about the program.